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Severe heat and dunes play havoc with competitors of the
2017 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

Two MINI crews sit inside top five overall after Special
Stage 2.

Mohamed Abu Issa with co-driver Xavier Panseri in fourth place.

Vladimir Valisyev and Konstantin Zhiltsov are fifth.Stephan Schott and Andreas Schulz in sixth.

Munich. All competitors of the 27th edition of the
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge are facing severe challenges thrown up by
long distance rally racing in desert conditions. Intense heat and
fresh dunes of the United Arab Emirates are proving to be difficult
conditions for many. Worst affected are the quad and motorcycle
riders, with many suffering from the effects of dehydration and
getting stuck.

Despite the extreme desert conditions, all three MINI crews are
challenging for top honours. Highest placed MINI crew after Stage 2 is
that of Mohamed Abu Issa (QAT) and co-driver Xavier Panseri (FRA).
Currently they are in fourth position with three Special Stages
remaining and charging hard.

Abu Issa: “I made a good start in yesterday’s stage and passed
the two cars that had started before me. But then I had to act as
pathfinder and I made a mistake – I got stuck on a camel-grass hill
and lost more than 20 minutes. Today, the dunes were difficult and
had sharp edges. In the second part we really went for it to finish
third. The MINI is running really well and we are looking forward to
the coming three days.”

Russian duo Vladimir Vasilyev and co-driver Konstantin Zhiltsov
started the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge with a thrilling third in the
opening Super Special Stage on Saturday. They maintained this position
overall at the end of the challenging Stage 1 on Sunday.
Unfortunately, Monday’s Stage 2 saw them become another victim of the
dunes and lost significant time to finish fifth overall with three
stages left to recover.

The third MINI crew of German pairing Stephan Schott and Andreas
Schulz are also in good form despite the conditions. Completing inside
the top ten on both race days, going into Stage 3 they are sixth
overall to make up the trio of MINI crews midway of the top ten competitors.

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INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW 2017.

CO2 emission information.

Fuel consumption figures based on the EU test cycle, may vary depending on the tyre format specified.

Further information on official fuel consumption figures, specific CO2 emission values and the electric power consumption of new passenger cars is included in the guideline "Guideline for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and electric power consumption of new passenger cars", which can be obtained from all dealerships, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at http://www.dat.de.

Further News for: MINI Motorsport · Cross Country Rallies

Related Video Content.

Fuel consumption figures based on the EU test cycle, may vary depending on the tyre format specified.

Further information on official fuel consumption figures, specific CO2 emission values and the electric power consumption of new passenger cars is included in the guideline "Guideline for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and electric power consumption of new passenger cars", which can be obtained from all dealerships, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at http://www.dat.de.